RE: Madeline Beaufort and the Moon Thief
04-25-2016, 03:50 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-01-2016, 08:15 AM by Colby.)
Rex carried Madeline in through the door, having to duck under the frame. The soldier woman followed them through, along with two more agents.
“I hope you don’t mind if my colleagues join us.” Said Rex, the question phrased like a statement. Madeline wondered why Rex needed armed security today, but she suspected it had something to do with her parents. The two agents began closing the blinds while the soldier woman stood guard by the door.
Wiping a little wetness from her eyes, Madeline hopped out of Rex’s arms, resolving to be the best host she could in her parent’s absence. Her mothers always stressed good manners, after all.
“Please, sit down.” said Madeline, clearing the table of her cereal. Rex obliged, but the soldier lady and the two agents stayed at their positions.
“Coffee, or Tea?” She asked as she put a kettle on the stove.
Rex looked surprised. “Tea, please. Thank you.”
Madeline grabbed a silver tray and put cheese and crackers on it. She filled a little cup with sugar cubes and carried the platter over. She turned to Rex and plastered on a smile.
“I don’t want to be rude, but may I ask the reason for your visit?”
“Getting right to business, I see. I expected no less from you Maddie, this is no time for needless repartee.” Rex paused and then sighed. “As you have correctly deduced, this visit has to do with both the absence of the moon as well as your parents. The short version of the story is that this planet needs you, desperately. The long version is that... well there are a lot of details. And unfortunately, I’ve found that there’s never a good way to bring someone into the fold.”
He paused, scanning Madeline’s expression, then looking over his shoulder at the soldier lady. The woman gave a slight nod of acknowledgement to Rex. “Major Hernandez here had an existential crisis when she learned the truth about the world. Isn’t that so, Major?”
“Yes, sir.” The major almost smiled. “I threw up, sir.”
“Go on” prodded Madeline, eager to hear some explanation for the insanity of the day.
“Well there’s three ways we can do this. Option one; We can leave, and you can try to forget this conversation ever happened. You get no answers about your parents, and you always wonder what we needed you for.”
Madeline scowled. Rex continued, “And by the look on your face, option one is a no-go. Option two is that we rip the band-aid clean off, quick, but not so painless. Option three is we work our way up to the revelation with questions. Either way, the same result. Everything is different after the next five minutes.”
“I hope you don’t mind if my colleagues join us.” Said Rex, the question phrased like a statement. Madeline wondered why Rex needed armed security today, but she suspected it had something to do with her parents. The two agents began closing the blinds while the soldier woman stood guard by the door.
Wiping a little wetness from her eyes, Madeline hopped out of Rex’s arms, resolving to be the best host she could in her parent’s absence. Her mothers always stressed good manners, after all.
“Please, sit down.” said Madeline, clearing the table of her cereal. Rex obliged, but the soldier lady and the two agents stayed at their positions.
“Coffee, or Tea?” She asked as she put a kettle on the stove.
Rex looked surprised. “Tea, please. Thank you.”
Madeline grabbed a silver tray and put cheese and crackers on it. She filled a little cup with sugar cubes and carried the platter over. She turned to Rex and plastered on a smile.
“I don’t want to be rude, but may I ask the reason for your visit?”
“Getting right to business, I see. I expected no less from you Maddie, this is no time for needless repartee.” Rex paused and then sighed. “As you have correctly deduced, this visit has to do with both the absence of the moon as well as your parents. The short version of the story is that this planet needs you, desperately. The long version is that... well there are a lot of details. And unfortunately, I’ve found that there’s never a good way to bring someone into the fold.”
He paused, scanning Madeline’s expression, then looking over his shoulder at the soldier lady. The woman gave a slight nod of acknowledgement to Rex. “Major Hernandez here had an existential crisis when she learned the truth about the world. Isn’t that so, Major?”
“Yes, sir.” The major almost smiled. “I threw up, sir.”
“Go on” prodded Madeline, eager to hear some explanation for the insanity of the day.
“Well there’s three ways we can do this. Option one; We can leave, and you can try to forget this conversation ever happened. You get no answers about your parents, and you always wonder what we needed you for.”
Madeline scowled. Rex continued, “And by the look on your face, option one is a no-go. Option two is that we rip the band-aid clean off, quick, but not so painless. Option three is we work our way up to the revelation with questions. Either way, the same result. Everything is different after the next five minutes.”
Spoiler